Improving Racial Equity in Treatment Services & Enhancing the Continuum of Recovery Services in Adult Drug Court

Lancaster County, Nebraska Adult Drug Court, under Category 2: Enhancements, will utilize $750,000 over 48 months to serve 200 participants. Participants will receive enhancements across the substance use treatment and recovery continuum. The Adult Drug Court Enhancement Project will train new clinical staff in the Matrix Model Substance Use Treatment Program, provide advanced training for existing clinical staff, and in consultation with the Clare-Matrix Foundation, complete all requirements to become Nebraska’s first Matrix Certified Site.  This project addresses programming disparities for minority populations by incorporating HEAT and HER, specific treatment curriculums for African American men and African American women with mental and/or substance use disorders, into the menu of interventions.  The project will ensure medication assisted treatment, including opioid use disorder treatment, is available to all participants in the Adult Drug Court who qualify, and based on recommendations from the most recent program evaluation (NUPPC, 2022), efforts to expand housing and employment/vocational services will be continued.  These enhancements will strengthen and expand behavioral health treatment programs and the continuum of recovery services to improve long term outcomes for participants, specifically retention; moving toward an equitable retention rate between white and non-white participants.  The project will address Best Practice Standards: V (pages 11, 12, 13); II (page 12); VI (page 13). Data collection and analysis will support an on-going, annual program evaluation.